FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 17, 2007

Contact:  Sandy Courtnage

Montana Farmers Union Promotes Farm Bill Priorities as

U.S. House Agriculture Committee Begins Deliberations

GREAT FALLS, MT (July 17, 2007) – With the U.S. House Agriculture Committee beginning its review of the 2007 Farm Bill today, Montana Farmers Union (MFU) President Alan Merrill released the following statement.

“There are many important parts to the 2007 Farm Bill legislation – everything from programs for ranchers and farmers to rural economic development and nutrition safety nets.  As the House Agriculture Committee begins its review, the Montana Farmers Union urges consideration for the following farm policy.

“We endorse counter-cyclical payments indexed to the cost of production.  What this means to producers on the ground is that when the cost of production increases, the target price is linked to it and will increase as well.

“Implementing this mechanism is expected to save sufficient funds that MFU believes should be directed toward a permanent disaster program.  Having a safety net always in place and available for farm and ranch disasters will provide significant risk management benefits for rural America.

“We also support the immediate implementation of mandatory country-of-origin labeling.  Any moves to weaken the current definitions should be rejected as an overwhelming majority of consumers and producers want labeling and will benefit from its implementation.”

“There are many worthy programs to be funded in the Farm Bill,” said Merrill.  “We look forward to working with Montana’s Congressional delegation on crafting a bill that provides the necessary safety net for producers while supporting rural America through conservation and renewable energy efforts as well.”

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